James Young - 22 points in Red Claws win

[Beat LA]

His three point shot is so smooth.

and thus far his defense has been so absent. i hope he develops all aspects of his game while in maine.

I think it will probably take at least the entire season for him to improve on defense, but he does have the physical tools to one day defend at a high level.

Doubt it. Ray Allen has all the tools to be a great defender. He was very athletic in his prime. Young can be a decent defender though.

I'd argue that he has the potential to be better than Ray on defense, if for no other reason than his superior height.  6'7"-6'8" is a lot different than 6'5", imo.  Just ask Kobe, who posted Allen up wherever and whenever he wanted, and pretty much always came out on top.  Once Posey left, only Pierce had the ability to guard Bryant one-on-one.  I'm not saying that Ray didn't try, but Jordan would do the same thing to Dumars, Gerald Wilkins, and Starks.  As long as the guy was of his height or slightly shorter, MJ would just own them inside, so I guess what I'm saying is that every inch counts .

Ray was quicker and played the 2. Young is a bit slower and projected as a small forward. Hard to compare diff positions.

True, but hey, you never know.  Man, he's only 19 years old.  I wonder how Gerald Green would have fared in the d-league if it had existed like it does today back in 2005.  Obviously, both guys are two completely different players, but it would still be interesting to see how Green would have performed.  Me thinks the results would have been mostly, "meh," at best, lol .   

Oh please don't compare a young Gerald Green to James Young.   
He's figured it out now, but he was the most clueless player I have ever seen.

No, don't worry, I wouldn't dream of comparing the two .  I was just more interested in how Gerald would have performed in a similar setting during his rookie campaign.  Besides, the only thing they have in common is that they both played for the Celtics before the age of 20.

[Chief]

I expect him to spend all season, and perhaps a good chunk of next, in maine. While he has undeniable skills, his weaknesses are pretty glaring right now: defensive focus, right hand handling/finishing, ability to create his own shot.

Jury is going to be out for a while on this kid.

I agree. And this is why I want Danny  to cash in some of the assets. No need to get any younger.

[Future Celtics Owner]

His three point shot is so smooth.

and thus far his defense has been so absent. i hope he develops all aspects of his game while in maine.

I think it will probably take at least the entire season for him to improve on defense, but he does have the physical tools to one day defend at a high level.

Doubt it. Ray Allen has all the tools to be a great defender. He was very athletic in his prime. Young can be a decent defender though.

I'd argue that he has the potential to be better than Ray on defense, if for no other reason than his superior height.  6'7"-6'8" is a lot different than 6'5", imo.  Just ask Kobe, who posted Allen up wherever and whenever he wanted, and pretty much always came out on top.  Once Posey left, only Pierce had the ability to guard Bryant one-on-one.  I'm not saying that Ray didn't try, but Jordan would do the same thing to Dumars, Gerald Wilkins, and Starks.  As long as the guy was of his height or slightly shorter, MJ would just own them inside, so I guess what I'm saying is that every inch counts .

also Young has a 7 ft wingspan and 8'8'' standing reach. Imo he will be a 2 in the league but will play some 3. I would not put much stock into what DA says about him playing the 3, especially while we may be showcasing players for a trade.

[Boris Badenov]

His three point shot is so smooth.

and thus far his defense has been so absent. i hope he develops all aspects of his game while in maine.

I think it will probably take at least the entire season for him to improve on defense, but he does have the physical tools to one day defend at a high level.

Doubt it. Ray Allen has all the tools to be a great defender. He was very athletic in his prime. Young can be a decent defender though.

I'd argue that he has the potential to be better than Ray on defense, if for no other reason than his superior height.  6'7"-6'8" is a lot different than 6'5", imo.  Just ask Kobe, who posted Allen up wherever and whenever he wanted, and pretty much always came out on top.  Once Posey left, only Pierce had the ability to guard Bryant one-on-one.  I'm not saying that Ray didn't try, but Jordan would do the same thing to Dumars, Gerald Wilkins, and Starks.  As long as the guy was of his height or slightly shorter, MJ would just own them inside, so I guess what I'm saying is that every inch counts .

Ray was quicker and played the 2. Young is a bit slower and projected as a small forward. Hard to compare diff positions.

True, but hey, you never know.  Man, he's only 19 years old.  I wonder how Gerald Green would have fared in the d-league if it had existed like it does today back in 2005.  Obviously, both guys are two completely different players, but it would still be interesting to see how Green would have performed.  Me thinks the results would have been mostly, "meh," at best, lol .   

Oh please don't compare a young Gerald Green to James Young.   
He's figured it out now, but he was the most clueless player I have ever seen.

No, don't worry, I wouldn't dream of comparing the two .  I was just more interested in how Gerald would have performed in a similar setting during his rookie campaign.  Besides, the only thing they have in common is that they both played for the Celtics before the age of 20.

For all his flaws, Green could fill it up even as a 19 year old rookie, and in the pros rather than D-league. He averaged 15 ppg over the last several games of his rookie year in the NBA. I think it's a safe bet that he would have scored prolifically in the D-League, which makes many fringe NBA players look dominant. (Luke Harangody averaged 20/12 on 45/40/78 shooting if you recall).

I'm not making any projections about Young, it's way too early. But Green looked pretty good back then too. In fact Gerald provides a good argument against extrapolating from a small sample late in the year...or from a few D-league highlights.

Edit:

Holy cow I had forgotten he played in the D-league (I had forgotten it existed back then TBH).

He averaged 12.6 ppg in 26 mpg.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/players/g/greenge01d.html

[Chris22]

Gerald Green never starred in a NCAA National Championship game.

F Gerald Green and the horse he rode in on.

Young is going to be a very good player.

[Smitty77]

His three point shot is so smooth.

and thus far his defense has been so absent. i hope he develops all aspects of his game while in maine.

I think it will probably take at least the entire season for him to improve on defense, but he does have the physical tools to one day defend at a high level.

Doubt it. Ray Allen has all the tools to be a great defender. He was very athletic in his prime. Young can be a decent defender though.

I'd argue that he has the potential to be better than Ray on defense, if for no other reason than his superior height.  6'7"-6'8" is a lot different than 6'5", imo.  Just ask Kobe, who posted Allen up wherever and whenever he wanted, and pretty much always came out on top.  Once Posey left, only Pierce had the ability to guard Bryant one-on-one.  I'm not saying that Ray didn't try, but Jordan would do the same thing to Dumars, Gerald Wilkins, and Starks.  As long as the guy was of his height or slightly shorter, MJ would just own them inside, so I guess what I'm saying is that every inch counts .

Ray was quicker and played the 2. Young is a bit slower and projected as a small forward. Hard to compare diff positions.

True, but hey, you never know.  Man, he's only 19 years old.  I wonder how Gerald Green would have fared in the d-league if it had existed like it does today back in 2005.  Obviously, both guys are two completely different players, but it would still be interesting to see how Green would have performed.  Me thinks the results would have been mostly, "meh," at best, lol .   

Oh please don't compare a young Gerald Green to James Young.   
He's figured it out now, but he was the most clueless player I have ever seen.

No, don't worry, I wouldn't dream of comparing the two .  I was just more interested in how Gerald would have performed in a similar setting during his rookie campaign.  Besides, the only thing they have in common is that they both played for the Celtics before the age of 20.

For all his flaws, Green could fill it up even as a 19 year old rookie, and in the pros rather than D-league. He averaged 15 ppg over the last several games of his rookie year in the NBA. I think it's a safe bet that he would have scored prolifically in the D-League, which makes many fringe NBA players look dominant. (Luke Harangody averaged 20/12 on 45/40/78 shooting if you recall).

I'm not making any projections about Young, it's way too early. But Green looked pretty good back then too. In fact Gerald provides a good argument against extrapolating from a small sample late in the year...or from a few D-league highlights.

Green was sent down to the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBADL for the MLK Showcase and my son and I were there.  He simply did NOT score "prolifically in the D-League.  We were at many of the home Patriot games to watch Green's progress or lack thereof.  I drove about 2 hours to Fayetteville from Albemarle to follow him. 

Smitty77

[playdream]

This kid is going to be very special

[D.o.s.]

I'd still like to know what 'very good' and 'very special' denote, though. Are we talking All Star nods? Statlines in the upper third of the position? "____ of the Year" consideration? What's the barometer?

[Chris22]

I'd still like to know what 'very good' and 'very special' denote, though. Are we talking All Star nods? Statlines in the upper third of the position? "____ of the Year" consideration? What's the barometer?

Consult the magic eight ball and get back to us.

[D.o.s.]

It's a pretty simple question, and I'm not sure why you're having such a hard time answering it? I feel like, for most people, what makes a player 'very good' is an easily definable thing. I'm just asking what he'd have to do to earn that designation.

Unless 'very good' is just vapid description attached to a player who won't actually have to see meaningful minutes in an NBA game for the forseeable future is concerned.

[Boris Badenov]

His three point shot is so smooth.

and thus far his defense has been so absent. i hope he develops all aspects of his game while in maine.

I think it will probably take at least the entire season for him to improve on defense, but he does have the physical tools to one day defend at a high level.

Doubt it. Ray Allen has all the tools to be a great defender. He was very athletic in his prime. Young can be a decent defender though.

I'd argue that he has the potential to be better than Ray on defense, if for no other reason than his superior height.  6'7"-6'8" is a lot different than 6'5", imo.  Just ask Kobe, who posted Allen up wherever and whenever he wanted, and pretty much always came out on top.  Once Posey left, only Pierce had the ability to guard Bryant one-on-one.  I'm not saying that Ray didn't try, but Jordan would do the same thing to Dumars, Gerald Wilkins, and Starks.  As long as the guy was of his height or slightly shorter, MJ would just own them inside, so I guess what I'm saying is that every inch counts .

Ray was quicker and played the 2. Young is a bit slower and projected as a small forward. Hard to compare diff positions.

True, but hey, you never know.  Man, he's only 19 years old.  I wonder how Gerald Green would have fared in the d-league if it had existed like it does today back in 2005.  Obviously, both guys are two completely different players, but it would still be interesting to see how Green would have performed.  Me thinks the results would have been mostly, "meh," at best, lol .   

Oh please don't compare a young Gerald Green to James Young.   
He's figured it out now, but he was the most clueless player I have ever seen.

No, don't worry, I wouldn't dream of comparing the two .  I was just more interested in how Gerald would have performed in a similar setting during his rookie campaign.  Besides, the only thing they have in common is that they both played for the Celtics before the age of 20.

For all his flaws, Green could fill it up even as a 19 year old rookie, and in the pros rather than D-league. He averaged 15 ppg over the last several games of his rookie year in the NBA. I think it's a safe bet that he would have scored prolifically in the D-League, which makes many fringe NBA players look dominant. (Luke Harangody averaged 20/12 on 45/40/78 shooting if you recall).

I'm not making any projections about Young, it's way too early. But Green looked pretty good back then too. In fact Gerald provides a good argument against extrapolating from a small sample late in the year...or from a few D-league highlights.

Green was sent down to the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBADL for the MLK Showcase and my son and I were there.  He simply did NOT score "prolifically in the D-League.  We were at many of the home Patriot games to watch Green's progress or lack thereof.  I drove about 2 hours to Fayetteville from Albemarle to follow him. 

Smitty77

See my edit above Smitty. I found his numbers. He averaged 12.6 ppg and 5.4 rpg in 26 minutes.

I'd agree that prolific isn't the right word, but it's pretty good - not too far below what Young's doing, when you account for Young's greater playing time. I can't find individual box scores, but it's possible Gerald had a couple games in which he scored close to 20 points.

And like I said Gerald proved he could score in the NBA even in his rookie year.

[pokeKingCurtis]

How do guys like James Young and Kevin Durant do it!?

Why are their long range bombs so effortless?

Why does mine look like I'm constipated!? Why do I look like I am metaphorically dropping a stink bomb (that clanks off the rim)?

[dang] genetics.

[Chris22]

How do guys like James Young and Kevin Durant do it!?

Why are their long range bombs so effortless?

Why does mine look like I'm constipated!? Why do I look like I am metaphorically dropping a stink bomb (that clanks off the rim)?

[dang] genetics.

Genetics and backspin.

[tarheelsxxiii]

He's gonna be solid. Comparing him to Melo is gross, though... Melo was awful from the get-go. He just had a mega-size advantage in D-league.  I think he was likely the perfect example of Ainge's ineptitude. I couldn't harp on it enough at the time... glad folks see it now. Or are we still giving him a shot? Where is he, anyway? Yugoslavia?

This kid, as someone else mentioned, isn't hitting the rim in that clip... and I've read multiple reports that he's a better shooter than what he showed at UK last year. Plays above the rim too. I like the prospect. 2-3 years, we may have a legit starter at the SF in 2016/2017, once Green definitely moves on. 

[mainevent]

The Kid will be the steal of this draft. Book it! I love Marcus Smart but Young's ceiling is ridiculous! THIS is going to be our go to guy in 2 yrs.  He reminds me a lot of a left handed Reggie Lewis. I'm not basing my thoughts on a youtube video either. I watched the Kid in the tournaments and with each game he got stronger. Once he started to believe in himself and began to realize the stage, he took over. He needs to hit the weights this off season and come in more defined. He has the frame for it. I'm happy he's getting a chance to ball, which is all he wants to do.

His chance will come.